Bangor is trying to encourage the creation of up to 100 housing units on a roughly 10-acre piece of city-owned land on Grandview Avenue by making it easier for developers to build there.
Anne Krieg, Bangor’s economic development director, said developers interested in bringing desperately needed housing to the area have backed out due to high construction costs. To remedy this, Krieg said the city began looking at ways to make it cheaper and less time-consuming for developers to do business in Bangor.
“We can’t control construction costs, but there are things we can do to take some of that cost burden off,” Krieg said.
Completing necessary work for a developer, such as changing the land’s zoning and installing utilities, also gives the city leverage to decide exactly what type of housing it wants created.
The effort aligns with the city council’s goal of making 2024 “the year of housing” by encouraging the creation and improvement of all types of housing in Bangor. The goal comes at a time when the Bangor area doesn’t have enough housing, and rental and purchase costs continue to rise. Those problems feed into the city’s other major challenges: homelessness and a stagnant population.
Though the city hasn’t yet developed a plan for what type of housing would be configured on the land, Krieg estimates the land could hold 50 to 100 units in a variety of styles, including single family homes, attached homes and apartments.
The city wants the housing to be affordable for people who make 80 to 120 percent of the area median income, which the Department of Housing and Urban Development sets annually.
A one-person household in Bangor making $48,250 to $72,375 per year would qualify, according to HUD. A four-person household could make $68,900 to $103,350.
The city referred to that income bracket as “the missing middle,” as the demographic makes too much to qualify for most housing subsidies, but still can’t afford market-rate housing, either as a renter or buyer.
The city council’s Business and Economic Development Committee gave city staff the green light on Monday to pursue changing the zoning of the land to allow for housing to be built there to begin the process.
Staff will then create a plan for what type of housing could sit on the land, as well as where a road could be built, all while avoiding protected wetlands in the space.
The land the city is eyeing for the subdivision is 10 to 11 acres on the southern side of Grandview Avenue between Hillside Avenue and Darling Parke Drive. The undeveloped property previously served as a tree nursery.
Krieg said the city is interested in using the site because it’s close to various amenities, including Bangor High School, Husson University, a shopping center and is a short drive from downtown Bangor.
“This lot has been sitting there unused and is a great location,” Krieg said. “It’s near everything and checks all the boxes.”
The city hasn’t yet had the land appraised and hasn’t set an asking price. The city can later complete other steps, like installing utilities to the site to serve the future units.
